State awarded Afro-Asian Games

HYDERABAD: It is now official. Andhra Pradesh will host the prestigious Afro-Asian Games to be held in October-November. This has been communicated to the state government.
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) chairman Suresh Kalmadi and Asian Olympic Association (AOA) secretary general Ranadhir Singh have sent separate letters to chief minister Chandrababu Naidu announcing that the Andhra Pradesh would be the next venue for the prized Games.Prime minister A B Vajpayee has also conveyed this to the chief minister during his recent visit to Delhi.
This announcement by the Centre and associations concerned sets at rest all speculations about the venue of the Games. Suresh Kalmadi and Ranadhir Singh have suggested to the government to go ahead with the preparations for the Games to be held between Oct. 24 and Nov. 1. The dates are already approved by the Union cabinet, it is learnt.
Hectic lobbying and the infrastructure created during the recently held National Games reportedly influenced the Centre, the IOA and AOA in awarding the Games to the state.
The city has several state-of-theart stadia to host various sporting events.
The chief minister has convinced Suresh Kalmadi and Ranadhir Singh about the ability of the state government to conduct the Games in Hyderabad.
Teams of officials from IOA and AOA have visited the stadia and other sports facilities created in and around the state capital and were satisfied with the structures.
The government has also deputed senior officials to hold discussions with the associations and officials in Delhi about the preparedness of the state to host the Games.
Top officials in the government estimate that an amount of about Rs 100 crore would be required to conduct the Games and hope that the Centre would share the financial burden. Officials told The Times of India that about 95 countries would participate in the Games including 42 from Asia and 53 from Africa.
Over 3,000 sportspersons will participate to fight for 400-odd medals. Several new games would also be introduced.